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Product customization enters new digital phases

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Forbes points to what’s ahead for manufacturing: digitization, digitalization and digital transformation, to name three.

The three sound alike, but they’re very different from each other. And it’s all about data and how it is used.

For manufacturers, going beyond digitization and digitalization toward a differentiated digital transformation offers opportunities to use data for expanding on new services and customizing current ones.

For instance, ideas for new services beyond routine repair and maintenance are now closer within reach for businesses, thanks to technologies that can predict when a product might need servicing or replacement well before it actually runs into trouble and breaks down.

The possibilities for product customization also show another example of the extrinsic value of digitization and digitalization. Based on customer data, a manufacturer can produce specialized products that address specific consumer needs and expectations. Whereas customization was inefficient in the past, given the need to stop production runs to gear up machines for different product batches, digitalization allows for a seamless switchover.